The other day, I commented on a Facebook posting made by one of my former high school teachers. In his response to my comment, he digressed from the topic at hand (Roy Rogers vs. Gene Autry) to add, “By the way, congratulations on the completion of your first novel... there are many of us who are jealous because we did not have the self discipline or will power to complete the novel that is within all of us.”

I wrote him back and encouraged him to simply sit down and start writing, as if it were as simple as that. And yet, seizing the willpower and self-discipline for writing is not so difficult once we assign it a priority equal to breathing.

It took me twenty years to figure it out, but there is only one major obstacle that separates the writers who write from the wannabe writers who talk about writing. You know what it is: writing. I personally engaged in the wannabe mindset way too long, and here’s a piece I wrote back in 2009, shortly after the light bulb finally flickered on in my tiny brain.

Although I consider myself a conscientious, purposeful doer, I whine that after spending my weekends running errands, cleaning the house, doing laundry, paying bills, shopping, surfing the Internet (an absolute necessity!), answering email, catching up with friends, dining out, and movie watching, there is no time left to write.

But you know what? The published author has responsibilities and finds a way to write anyway.

I bellyache about having to work eight hours a day and commuting more than an hour each way. I also sleep eight hours, spend an hour with my dad each evening, take an hour each weekday morning making myself presentable for work, and spend at least a half-hour winding down before heading to bed each night.

But the published author has obligations too and still manages to write anyway.

I spend numerous days each year extracting sage advice from published authors at exciting writers conferences, in addition to spending untold hours poring over the latest books on writing.

But the published author also attends writing workshops and reads books about writing, but you know what? She manages to plop her butt in a chair and write anyway.

I spend months revising my fabulous manuscript-in-progress in an effort to make it more perfect before moving on to the next chapter.

The published author writes and keeps writing, fully aware that there will be time to make revisions once the entire story that’s swirling in her head is transferred to paper or her hard drive.

After that, the published author finds the courage to actually send her finished story to agents and publishers in an effort to sell it. If it comes back to her with a rejection letter, she doesn’t crumble into a heap and declare herself a failure. She sends it out again. And again. And again. And again. Fifty times. Eighty times. A hundred times.

Until finally, after offering the story to every possible outlet, and it hasn’t sold, the published author uses what she’s learned from the experience and writes another story.

And so now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve procrastinated long enough. I have a bunch of highly important “stuff” that I need to take care of.

But, you know what? I’m going to write anyway.

Late this past July, I was lucky enough to hear the wonderful, New York Times best-selling author Elizabeth Berg speak at the Midwest Writers Workshop. The author of more than 20 novels, Berg said she had always felt the urge to write and was just nine years old when she submitted her first piece of writing—a poem—for publication. It was rejected, she said, which “hurt her feelings.” And that is why she waited 25 years before submitting her next piece. By then, as a mother of two young children, she sent an essay to Parents magazine, which accepted it immediately. And the rest is history.

I’m sure Elizabeth Berg leads a busy life, just like everyone does. Hers is probably busier than most. And just like her, every published, working writer was once a wannabe.

So the reality writers must embrace, which is also true for my former high school teacher, is this: There’s only one practice separating busy wannabe writers from busy writers with published novels (or novels scheduled for an October 2014 release!) … published writers write anyway. _________

Before you get back to your writing, I invite you to take a look at the first chapter of my forthcoming debut novel, a cozy mystery, Dust Bunnies and Dead Bodies, scheduled for release October 15. It will be available in print and ebooks on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and kobobooks.com. I hope you will love it.

I also invite you to keep the conversation flowing by leaving a note below in the comments section, or join me on Facebook and Twitter.